Enemy, Thy Name is Husband
by obsidians
Summary: With lots of unfavourable conditions and now reformed Sephiroth is reinstated as General, one of them being he has to take his former enemy, Tifa on a date. It does not go well and in a fit of drunkenness, they wind up married. Whatever shall they do? Rated M for future chapters. Happy V.D. (Victoria Day Weekends) to all Canadians.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own FF7 or its characters and make no profit writing these stories.

Roll 'em...

Tifa had been curious when Rufus had summoned her to his home. "Go on a date with Sephiroth?" she repeated his request, _positive_ she must have heard it incorrectly.

"Yes" he replied.

"I would sooner go on a date with a zolom" she snapped. "The answer is no. Why would you think I would even _consider_ it after what he did to me?" she cried in irritation, touching her scar for emphasis. "Wait was this his idea?" feeling nauseous at the idea that he might harbour some sort of sexual attraction for her.

"No, it was mine. Now that he has been reestablished as General Sephiroth; I'm doing what I can to show people that he has reformed and is no longer a threat. You're a well respected member of the community who has been known to have, issues with him in the past..." Rufus explained.

"If by issues, you mean he slaughtered my entire town, including my father and tried to kill me too...because he had his own Mommy issues" she snapped.

"That wasn't him; that was Jenova" Rufus objected.

"Oh yes, the alien DNA that your company added to his DNA. Did they even do animal testing to make sure it was safe?" she countered.

"That was his father and little to do with my company. I doubt anyone knew who he actually was" Rufus pointed out.

"Either way, find another girl to date your murder. I'll be washing my hair that evening" she stubbornly said.

"Please Tifa, it doesn't need to be a long date. You could just go to dinner with him, let them take some photos and be home by ten" Rufus pleaded. She frowned, still not looking convinced. "It's not like we're expecting you to kiss him or sleep with him or anything of the kind."

"Definitely not either of those" she snapped.

"There must be something you want" Rufus said.

"Well I do need a new stove for the bar kitchen" she hesitantly said.

"Done" Rufus announced.

"Top of the line" she insisted.

"If you hold his hand for five minutes straight at some point, noticeably flirt with him and give him a peck on the cheek by way of good night" Rufus demanded.

"I can agree to that. Saturday at 7?" she suggested.

"I'll have Sephiroth's schedule cleared" he said almost sarcastically as if to imply that Sephiroth rarely was booked up on a Saturday night. "Wear something nice."

"You arranged a _what_ for me?" Sephiroth asked Rufus in a voice that caused shivers to run down his spine.

"A date with Tifa Lockhart. You have to appear eligible and willing to date if you're going to insist on being single" Rufus said. "You have been on dates before, correct?"

He was surprised when the unflappable General looked almost pained at this "yes in the past, the better looking members of SOLDIER were expected to act as escort to daughters of superior officers or highly placed government officials. I didn't not relish such occasions as every female, plain or otherwise would grope me and attempt to seduce me. Each time was more boring and dully predictable as the last and I was extremely glad when the practice ended. Therefore, I am not interested in going on any dates and refuse to. I have done everything required of me to go along with your little dog and pony show. I have given speeches, I have a appeared at mall openings. I have attended every boring conference, balls and seminar. I had proven many times over that I am reformed...and now you are arranging my social life for me. I draw the line at that" he said.

"General, you really _don't_ have a social life. You are watched twenty four-seven. You don't seem to date or even have any friends. Surely you can spare one Saturday night out of your so-busy life to have dinner with a nice girl? Think of how it will look to all those women out that are in love with you; they don't know in real life, that you're a cold hearted bastard," Sephiroth frowned at his synopsis of him. "You have to appear available to them" Rufus explained.

Sephiroth seemed to ponder this. "This is absolutely necessary?" he asked after a pregnant pause.

"All you need to do is be seen in public, act a little flirty, like you're enjoying her company; the reporters get some nice shots of your smiling faces and you're done. You do know how to smile, right?" Rufus questioned him.

Sephiroth bared his teeth at him in a sickening grin and Rufus felt he might be going for his throat "how's this?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps let _her_ do all the smiling" he said with a shiver of fear."Do you know how to flirt?" he asked him.

"No" Sephiroth replied emphatically.

"This going to be a fun date" Rufus said. "Just try to copy her body language, you're picking her up at 7pm. I shall have a car sent for you and your driver shall have flowers ready to give her. Be ready" he said.

"Tell her that I don't enjoy being touched; she is not allowed to grope me" Sephiroth demanded.

"I don't think that will be a problem on her part" Rufus assure him.

Tifa slipped into the gold satin dress that she had borrowed from Yuffi, it was strapless with a corset back, she found it ironic that she was wearing gold for a date with the silver haired general; they were going to be such a study in contrasts!

Sephiroth looked as delighted to see her as she did him as in, not at all. He silently handed her a bouquet of roses and politely waited long enough for her to put them in water, equally as silent, showing that small talk wasn't his thing. His arm was offered to escort her to the car and an excruciating drive to the restaurant ensued where he spent his time staring out the window and her struggling not to laugh at what he was wearing.

"Why are you dressed that way?" she finally broke down and asked. He wore a black uniform with a gold stripe on either side of his pants and his usual harness was worn over a white shirt with black tie over top. But it was the jacket that blew her away, the epaulets that depicted his rank were hugely exaggerated with gold tassels and there we so many medals attached to his chest that he looked like something from a comedy movie. Add to that tons and tons of gold stars and gold braiding and a very tall service cap, that looked practically like a top hat with more stars and more gold braiding, and you had what he was wearing.

"Apparently my SOLDIER uniform reminds people of when I lost my mind" he said so candidly that she felt a tad flustered.

"You really don't beat around the bush" she commented. "Quite frankly, in that getup, I am forced to question your sanity more than ever."

"I think we have known each other long enough for you to deduce that I never do. This uniform and being reinstated are all part of an agreement I made with Shinra in order to avoid being court-martialed and most likely receiving the death penalty. Our date stems for that agreement. Not that I'm afraid of death, stronger people have tried to return me to the lifestream but it keeps on giving me back. However, it might be harder to do that without my head and I don't wish to try that" he explained without a trace of mirth in his voice.

"So you're saying that you're being forced...?" she asked him.

"My will, until I prove that I'm a good little general and can win back public trust, has been put on hold. I have to submit to the whims of the same corrupt organization that did this to me in the first place, but apparenty under more benevolent leadership. I find that ironic. Why am I telling you all this? Because Miss Lockhart, you were there for the before and the after, so I don't feel the need to sugarcoat anything" he explained.

"You don't sound happy" she commented.

"Does that really matter to you? Come, let us get this sham of a date over with. We are about to exit the car and reporters shall be taking pictures. What is best way for us to look happy and excited to be in each other's company?" he asked her, looking anything but.

"Just give me your arm" she said and put her hand in crook of his arm and smiled up at him in way that she hoped looked like he was the object of her affections, whereas he just looked straight ahead as the flashes kept on going off.

"How much longer do I have to hold your hand?" he whispered to her.

"Another minute" she said, struggling not to sound bored, but the General was just that; boring. He didn't like small talk, that much was abundantly clear. His knowledge of music seemed to revolve around military marches. He knew nothing about modern cinema and was well read, but didn't bother reading anything that was fictional and knew zero about flirting. When she leaned towards him as if to capture his every word, he automatically leaned back. Flirtious giggles were met with polite winces from him. Playing with her hair just led to questions about what was wrong with it as in perhaps, did she has lice? Any attempts to even so much as touch his wrists, resulted in them being pulled out of range. She was never so happy for an expensive dinner to end in her life.

"Rufus gave me tickets for the new musical that's opening tonight" he said.

"Do you like musicals?" she asked him.

"I loathe them" was his answer.

"Then what do you like to do?" she asked him.

"I really can't think of anything" he said.

"Come on, there has to be something you enjoy" she said persuasively and he seemed to almost smile at this.

And that is how they wound up in a hotel bar while he hustled a table of miners at pool.

"Angeal taught me how to do this" he explained.

"Sephiroth, that's the third game you won against them. Shouldn't you stop?" Tifa asked nervously, Sephiroth was a big guy, but the miners were frigging huge and dangerous looking.

"I'm going to give them back their money after this game, it is just the thrill of the game" he replied as his shot sank five balls in a row.

"Come sit with us while your boyfriend plays, we're celebrating the second wedding anniversary of Bob and Stan" and Tifa looked and realized what the very large blonde and redhead were holding hands and was introduced to everyone else.

"Oh you're married?" she asked them, ignoring the boyfriend reference.

"It was love at first sight. I keep telling Chris and Robert and Devin and Steve to get married, but they're resistant so far" Bob explained. "Speaking love, isn't that the divine General Sephiroth you're with? How did you score with him?"

"I wouldn't say scored, he's my date for the evening. It's complicated" she replied and looked over to where Sephiroth was handing the man identified as Robert, his money back and they were shaking hands.

"The General just gave me my money back. I say, Tifa and he should should join us for some shots" he said.

"I can't really drink..."Sephiroth explained.

"You won't have a drink with an old brother in arms from SOLDIER?" Dave asked him.

"You were in SOLDIER?" Sephiroth said, Tifa noted that he looked much better now that the stupid hat and jacket had been removed and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. He actually appeared to be enjoying himself.

"I only made it to second but yes, I served under you, Sir" he said and saluted.

"In that case, it is my privilege to drink with you" he said and many tequila shots were produced and consumed while Sephiroth became extremely animated and seemed to get drunker by the second. Tifa herself was starting to slur, but Sephiroth completely out of it as he and Dave discussed the old days.

"There were two other people you always seemed to be with, Genesis and that Angeal. What happened to them?" Dave asked Sephiroth.

"Angeal was killed and Genesis was..." he said with a sob that caused Tifa's drunken eyes to fly open in shock. "I miss them" he sobbed and Tifa and the rest of the people at the table learned the hard way that the supposedly emotionless General Sephiroth was an _emotional_ drunk.

Tifa thought nothing of it as she drew him into her arms and she even cried herself as he spilled the tale of his horrific childhood and all the wrongs that had gone on since then. He seemed to sob at literally everything, making it obvious how much pain he had been suppressing. By that point, he had gone through several boxes of Kleenexes, had received hugs from everyone at the table and they took turns stoking his hair and many random hugs from people who overheard him and come over in sympathy. "I don't want to be alone anymore" he said from where his head rested on her shoulder.

"You won't be, you'll never be alone again. You'll be mine forever, Sephiroth" Tifa promised him, her motherly heart crying for the damaged boy he had been...and the tequila clouding all her reason that the person she was speaking to was now a fully grown, attractive man. She lifted his face with her soft hands and they shared a kiss.

The married couple looked at each other and grinned, thinking it an outpouring of love...and a proposal. It's amazing what tequila could do to people! "Is there a priest here by any chance?" he called to the room at large.

"I'm a priest" a middle aged man said from where he sat at the table with his wife.

"Looks like we have a job for you to do..." they said as they helped the two to stand and the priest picked up his book and stepped forward. However neither Sephiroth or Tifa remembered this the next morning...

Sephiroth woke up and wondered where he was...and why the room was spinning. His mouth felt like something had crawled in it and died and he felt like he was going to...he ran in the direction of the open door and just managed to make it, before regurgitating what little seemed to be left in his stomach.

He rinsed out his mouth and wondered what had happened the night before. His eyes closed against the harsh light of day and tried to remember. He remembered his forced date and then playing pool and then drinking and then...nothing. Wondering why his hair seemed to be in a solid clump, he pulled it over his shoulder and frowned to find it braided, something he had never done before. Another mystery to solve. He did have vague recollections of throwing up earlier as someone fed him water and held his shoulders and someone helping him back to bed. His head throbbing, he returned to the bed and sat down on the edge, struggling to remember the rest, when the bed grabbed him and he flinched at this.

"Come back to bed" Tifa said, trying to tug him back in.

"Miss Lockhart what are you doing in bed with me?" he demanded, relieved to see he wore his boxer shorts but then his eyes flew accusingly towards her, wondering who had undressed him.

"We got drunk with gay miners, the driver had to leave so we stayed at the hotel" she said.

"That doesn't explain why we are in the same _bed_ together" he said.

"There was only one bed in the room. I wasn't planning to stay up after I was taking care of you for hours, so I crashed with you" she said with a groan.

"Why?" he asked her.

"You had a bad reaction to the alcohol you consumed and kept on puking, so I kept on getting up to make sure you got back to bed and making sure your hair didn't end up in your puke" she said with a groan.

"So my hair?" he asked her showing her the braid.

"I got sick of holding it back. I tried to put it back in a ponytail but your bangs kept sneaking out, so I French braided those suckers in" she explained. "Now will you come back to bed. I need more sleep" she snapped.

"Only after you tell me what happened after we played pool" he said seizing the covers off of her.

"Give those back, I'm in no shape to be interrogated" she demanded.

"Is that my shirt?" he asked her.

"I had to sleep in something" she replied.

"Why not my jacket?" he asked her.

"That thing seems to be made partly of barbed wire and it's hideous" she complained, sitting up.

"Agreed, now what happened?" he asked, practically wavering in place and felt the need to puke again.

"We started drinking tequila shots with the six gay miners, you and Dave were discussing your old SOLDIER days and then you had an emotional breakdown" she said, pushing her hair back and drawing the covers back onto herself and turning away from him.

"What do you mean emotional breakdown?" he demanded, pinning her onto her back

"You started sobbing and wouldn't stop" she explained and actually looked at him directly and was almost glad to see that the normally immaculately groomed man looked like a bag of shit. With his hair completely pulled back, his face was fully exposed and almost a greyish colour due to his hangover and his skin looked tight on his face, there were dark circles under his eyes and his eyes themselves were swollen from crying. Tifa was positive that his eyes would have been bloodshot if his eyes had white parts in them. However the slits in his eyes were tiny, as if trying to ward off the light.

"But I don't cry" he said, suddenly frozen like the statue people said he resembled, feeling a dark sense of foreboding.

"You did last night. You cried about your horrible past, you cried about being trapped in the lifestream, you cried about your present situation and how you hate your apartment because there's not enough light to raise your orchids and finally, you don't like that one of your bangs is higher on one side than the other. Literally everything! You were a train wreck with the gay couples and myself cuddling you, when they weren't playing with your pretty hair and people coming from other tables to give you hugs to help console you. Everyone heard you. Now come back to bed, I need more sleep" she moaned and not realizing that Sephiroth looked like he was about to start hyperventilating at any second and his normally pale complexion was even paler. He was now literally a statue that barely breathed in his shock, it was like he had had a gorgon's head suddenly mug him. Him...but how? With dawning horror Sephiroth realized she must be telling the truth and bolted for the washroom again. Loss of control was something he feared the most from childhood where he learned to distrust everyone and his personality had been tempered from this.

Afterwards he looked at himself in the mirror and wondered how he could find everyone who witnessed his mishap and kill them. How would he ever live this down? He couldn't even remember the last time he cried and he had to do so in front of what seemed like the entire world!

Tifa almost whined when there was a knock at the door and impatiently pulled it open to find a priest there.

"Morning, I'm about to head out and thought I would come check on you" he explained.

"We're fine" she said, fighting her own hangover and Sephiroth came to join her; wondering who was at the door.

"Everything has been registered this morning, so when you're ready for ring shopping, call this number. Saul will get you anything you want" he said.

"Thanks" she said, wondering what he was talking about.

"How are you young man?" he asked Sephiroth conversationally.

"It seems tequila doesn't agree with me" he said with a wince.

"You know what you need. I have the greatest hangover cure. Pour a shot of vodka and add to it, a raw egg and a shot of Tabasco..." he said and then frowned when Sephiroth slapped his hand over his mouth and ran back to the washroom.

"Is he going to be okay?" he asked Tifa.

"He's a lightweight" Tifa said as unhappy pukey sounds started up again.

"Well I must go meet up with my wife. Have a happy life" he said.

"What's wrong with me?" Sephiroth groaned, having a seat.

"You're hung over as the man said" she said."Do you wear rings?" she asked him.

"I don't wear any jewelry" he said, slumping over, to out of it to care at the oddity of her question.

"Me neither, oh well. I guess hocking his friend's business to people is just what he does" she said dismissively.

Sephiroth groaned when there was another knock on the door and Tifa answered it.

"Good morning General and Mrs...General" the hotel bellhop said, not sure what to say at the lack of a last name on the form. "The Madison thanks you for your patronage and would like to offer you this complimentary breakfast on your first day as man and..." he said.

"Miss Lockhart, please tip this person and get rid of him. His voice is hurting my head" Sephiroth requested of her, clutching his head.

"Where do you keep your money?" she asked him.

"Inside pocket" he said. "Wait why did you call her Mrs.? I thought you were unmarried Miss Lockhart?" he asked her, studying the nervous looking bellboy.

"Crescent" Tifa said in a faint sounding voice.

"That's technically my last name, but I only use it for legal purposes. How did you know?" he asked her.

"It appears to be on our marriage certificate" she said handing it to him and again, he went statue still again as he read it.

"That priest. You there, what do you know of this?" he demanded of the bellhop.

"Well after you had your crying jag" he began and Sephiroth glared at him for this. "The people are your table were adamant that you wanted to be married. So a wedding veil was borrowed from a honeymoon couple and flowers taken from a vase. Don't you remember any of this?" he asked the mystified looking couple. His answer was Sephiroth running for the washroom again.

Tifa, picked up the bottle of water from the tray and put her hand at Sephiroth's back when he slunk out of the washroom again.

"Drink this and come back to bed" she said.

"But if we are truly wed, we have a lot to talk about. I don't believe we consummated this, so therefore..." he said.

"Sephiroth, we will get this sorted _later_. For now, we both need more sleep and you're hung over. Let's get a couple more hours sleep and then we can decide what to do, until then, lie down" she ordered him.

"Together?" he asked her.

"I'll try to keep my hands to myself, husband darling. Until then, come here" she said getting under the covers and tugging his wrist aggressively towards her. He gingerly lay as far away from her has possible, but she flopped onto his shoulder and draped one of her legs over his. With a sigh, she fell asleep and he tentatively brought his arms around her and couldn't stop staring at her.

A wife, what was he supposed to do with a wife? He had never been married before and his own parent's marriage certainly didn't shed any light into how he was supposed to behave towards her. Did this mean that she could legally demand sex from him? Or order him to reproduce with her? This is not a situation he had ever studied up on, as he couldn't see himself needing to know. With a human woman, he would have to worry about the mako in his system killing her, so to have sexual relations with her would be as if he were signing her death warrent, as far as he knew. Then there was his aversion to having people touch him, yet Tifa was practically wrapped around him and it didn't bother him...quite the opposite, he found her body warmth soothing and soon his exhausted brain shut down and he went back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Tifa got changed in the washroom as Sephiroth got ready in the bedroom, he avoided looking at her when she come out. She noted upon rejoining him, that he still looked noticeably unwell. He now only wore his pants and the wrinkled shirt she wore to bed, the rest of his uniform was in a plastic bag they had been provided with. They had slept some more and she felt better but Sephiroth didn't seem to be much at all and kept wincing at the sunlight, his odd pupils shrank to practically nothing. "The car will be here in a few minutes. You should have some more water" she chided him.

"Stop bothering me. I do not have gills and therefore, don't need any more water. I'm just fine, thank you" he said in a testy voice to let her know that her motherly concern of him was _not_ appreciated.

"You don't look fine" she said commented.

"Kindly mind your own business" he snapped at her.

"I should think that my husband is my business" she said facetiously.

He just snapped her a look through pained eyes and shut up. Getting a phone call that their car was there, both people got ready to go do the walk of shame in the clothes they wore the night before. That his wrinkled shirt smelled of her rose scent perfume and there was a stain from her red lipstick on his collar which was not helping with his appearance.

They had almost made it out the door, when a couple ran up to them. "General Sephiroth, glad we caught you. I just wanted to say, I now understand it wasn't your fault you tried to destroy the world and I forgive you" he man said.

"Thank you" he said in a pained voice.

"You really caught a good one" the woman said, giving Tifa a hug. "And yourself, General. Would you like another hug?" she asked him.

"No thank you" he stiffly answered.

"It's no problem" both spouses said, giving him a group hug that caused him to go statue-like and Tifa could have sworn he blushed.

"He thanks you for your concern" she said, biting her lip, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, he's had such a horrible life. I'm so glad he finally found love" the wife said, still clinging on to him in a way that made him look like he wanted to murder her.

"I'll take good care of him" she promised them, carefully tugging him free of their embrace before his Masamune made an appearance, she gave them a friendly smile as he practically ran on ahead and got into the car, firmly slamming the door after himself and she eased herself in. She reached into her purse to slip on her ever present sunglasses when she realized how much he was wincing at the cruel light of day. "How sensitive are your eyes to sunlight?" she asked him.

"Why do you wish to know? Because they resemble those of a cat?" he demanded.

"I wasn't trying to make fun of you. No, because the light must be hurting your eyes more than mine because you're in worst shape. So would you say they are more sensitive than those of an average persons? If so, you should wear these. Geeze, sensitive much" she said and firmly put her sunglasses on him before he could argue with her.

He paused when the dark lenses made his eyes feel more restful and then took them off to examine them "rhinestone cat eye sunglasses?" he said with a painful wince.

"Beggar's can't be choosers. Besides they go with the braid you wouldn't let me take out of your hair" she said dismissively.

"I have a special brush that doesn't pull my hair, it's better just to leave it where it is until I get home" he replied, not caring about his appearance at all when he slipped her sunglasses back on.

"My place first, I need to get you some hangover remedies" she said.

"Like what?" he asked her.

"You'll see" was her reply. Both people were surprised to find Cid, Yufi, Barret and Vincent sitting around a laptop and Sephiroth noticed how all conversation ceased when he came in, except he could hear his own voice on what they were watching, wailing about his life and he cringed at this.

"Turn it off" Tifa said wearily, figuring the night before had already made it to youtube and noticed that everyone seemed to be frozen in shock at the sight of the normally immaculate general in his wrinkled uniform, braid, pasty complexion and girly sunglasses.

"Shit Sephiroth, when you have a crying jag, you really go for broke" Cid commented.

"Wow, you look like hell" Yuffi said.

"Yes I seen scarecrows looking better. That's quite the new look, damn! You look like you're disguised as a bad drag queen" Barret commented.

"It's was a bad night" Sephiroth stiffly said.

"How dare you!" Yuffi cried to Tifa.

"How dare I what?" Tifa asked her, as Sephiroth winced at her voice.

"Get married without letting me throw you a bachelorette party" Yuffi cried.

"Neither one of us were planning to get married" Sephiroth pointed out.

"Still, how inconsiderate" Yuffi snapped. "Especially from you Seph-Seph, kidnapping my favourite girl away like that. I had to find out from an article in the society page" she said nudging him.

"That is _Sephiroth_ , do not attempt to hang monikers on myself. They do not stick. I didn't attempt to kidnap anyone!" he insisted.

"I'll say; it looks like your bridesmaids misunderstood Tifa's meaning and got you married" Vincent's quiet baritone spoke up and people made room for them around the laptop and Tifa's blushed when she promised that Sephiroth would be her's forever. Then the highly embarrassing scene came where they were both held up and prompted to say "I do" in the correct parts of the ceremony.

"It was _your_ fault" Sephiroth accused her. Then he turned sharply when he did a toast "I so happy I'm married to the most beautiful woman, with the best rack in the world" he slurred.

"Thanks for noticing" she said drily.

"I was under the influence!" he protested.

"Shit man, no husband talks about his woman's body in public that way, 'cept to his closest friends. Come here, let Uncle Barret explain how to be a proper husband to our Tifa" he said putting a friendly arm around the general that looked more like a stranglehold and led him to a booth.

"How did this happen?" Vincent asked Tifa.

"There was a gay couple celebrating their wedding anniversary, so I guess they misunderstood me and they both had been drinking a lot" Tifa explained.

"But why would Sephiroth be drinking that much? With the all the mako in his system, he can drink very little, like myself" Vincent explained. "Was there something about the people he was drinking with?"

"Yes one of them used to serve under him and remembered him" Tifa explained.

"That explains a lot. It must be lonely to be him" Vincent said and Tifa could only stare over to where he was looking flustered at what "Uncle" Barret was giving him for advice and went to fix him some food.

Sephiroth could only listen while Barret spouted what seemed to be endless advice on marriage, yet he didn't think the man had ever been married himself. "If your woman makes you food; you wash the dishes, real men do dishes. Your girl has a problem, sometimes she just need to vent, you listen until she asks you for advice. Finally, there are two people in that bed. She goes before you do, if you get my drift" Barret said.

"What is that last one again?" Sephiroth asked him but was interrupted by Tifa putting a breakfast in front of him that seemed to shine with grease."I'm sorry I don't eat this sort of food" he said, though it did make his abused stomach growl.

"Well dang, look at that. You have your two best cures for hangovers right there. A good greasy breakfast with eggs, bacon and sausage and a side of banana. Tifa, what a mother you're going to make to this boy's children" Barret said clapping a bewildered looking Sephiroth on the shoulder, that almost made him fall over into his breakfast.

"A good greasy breakfast is what you need. Eat as much as you can" she ordered as he looked dubiously at it, just then Sephiroth PHS rang.

"General Sephiroth" he answered."Hello Rufus, yes it was a surprise to us as well" he sourly replied.

"No, today's not good" he replied. "He wants you and I to come see him this afternoon" he said to her.

"What? Let me talk to him" Tifa insisted, taking his phone from him.

"Rufus, we just got home and he's in bad shape. The only place he's going is home once he finishes eating...and I have to get the bar open. No, he's not coming to see you on his own today, either. He's taking the day off. We can both come see you tomorrow at 1pm, got it? Very well, we shall see you then" she said, hanging up on him despite Rufus's protests. "Rufus can be such a pushy little bitch" she commented.

"I'm _sorry_ did you just hang up on my direct superior? Something that can get me court marshaled?" Sephiroth asked her, but with no trace of fear in his voice.

"Rufus's a pussycat" she said dismissively. "I see you ate everything" she said and he looked down in shock to realize that he indeed had eaten each and every little tiny greasy particle. "How do you feel?" she asked him.

"A little better" he said, swallowing down the pills she gave him, despite his suspicious nature regarding unidentified medication, figuring she had had all night to slit his throat if she had wanted to. Why work so hard to get him healthy, only to poison him? "What is this?" he asked her.

"Gatorade" she said. "I'll give you some bottles to take home with you" she said.

"I'm allowed to leave?" he asked her.

"Of course. Did you think you had to automatically move in with me just because we're married? Just go home and take it easy" she said. "You _do_ think that" she said and everyone laughed at his expression.

"I'll be going" he said, still feeling sketchy and sick of her friends.

"Sephiroth, wait. That was unkind of me, you've had a long night. Go home and put on some comfortable clothes and relax" she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek to his surprise and he left after giving her a look of confusion.

He got home and the first thing he did, was to undo his braid and shook loose his hair and looked in surprise that it was kinky, not used to the look. "Comfortable clothes, indeed" he mused as he stripped off his uniform and padded around in the buff, his hair his only covering. However he did take Tafi's advice about relaxing and settled against his body pillow and took a nap, covering himself with a good thick comforter, glad to be back in his own place.

He took a long hot bath after he awoke, feeling 90% better and did some minor stretching as he liked to do that upon awakening. He got the paper, curious about this picture Yuffi had mentioned and had a rare chuckle to see the pair of them having to be propped up just to kiss. The next picture showed them leaning against each other and had to admit that they actually looked good together with his own paleness against the darkness of her hair and eyes and then dismissed it and fired up his computer and looked up how to get a marriage dissolved. Thinking that more appropriate a topic to research as how to marriage wasn't meant for him. He fired off an email to his lawyer to ask him to draw up the papers and suggest a proper settlement amount.

He tapped his fingers on his desktop and then on impulse, entered; marriage tips and mulled over what he found there. Finding seven tips, he read them and contemplated them. 1. Realize you can lose her. Well he hadn't really wanted her in the first place, he mused. 2. Bring her back little things. Sephiroth glanced at the white board on his fridge, of course, that seemed logical to him. There was something always running out in a household. How hard was it to pick up toilet paper and stuff like that? 3. Have more sex. He frowned at this, he wasn't opposed to having sex in general he supposed, but couldn't see it being offered to him by her. 4. Be a good conversation partner. He considered him to be well versed in a wide variety of topics but; what did married people talk about? Sephiroth had no clue. 5. Don't expect her to be perfect. Well of course she wasn't, she didn't seem to respect boundaries and was a touchy feely person even when he didn't invite that from anyone. Also she was a highly cuddly sleeper whereas, he was not. Well there was the one time that he and Genesis had had to share a bedroll after he lost his own and he accused Sephiroth of clinging onto him all night long. As if! Genesis was prone to exaggeration. 6. Know that you won't always be happy. Ha! Sephiroth knew that one for sure, he was seldom ever happy. 7. Be on the same team. Against who, he questioned?

Then he took a deep breath and looked up sex tips for married people and felt himself blushing. Truth be told, he was a virgin. His dislike of being touched had seen to that. He had had only two people he trusted that knowledge with and they had been Angeal and Genesis. Genesis had been the more poetic one, who suggested that if someone was patient him and had his trust completely; it would happen for them. Angeal had dismissively told him to get drunk with a girl and get it over with. Obviously himself getting drunk wasn't a good idea! He was never drinking again, in fact. He found his eyebrows raising at the tips they suggested. Would Tifa truly like it if he got all demanding and spanked her? Sex toys, how do people choose which ones work for them? "General Sephiroth" he said answering his phone.

"Oh hello Miss Lockhart" he said with a blush at the mental image he had been concocting in his head of her wearing the stupid garter belt and stockings he had just read about, while lying over his lap, while he spanked her firm bottom. He was feeling uncomfortably hard at the idea and guilty now that he was talking to her.

"Hi just let you know, I explained everything to everyone and everyone is fine with what happened and doesn't blame you" she explained.

"There's a lot of noise in the background" he commented.

"Vincent and Cid are arm wrestling each other and Yuffi is doing hand free shots. The joint is really hopping tonight. You want to come join us?" she offered on impulse.

Sephiroth actually was tempted for a minute with hearing everyone laughing in the background, his place was nice, but suddenly seemed so empty. "Thanks, I think I had enough of bars for now" he replied.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"I'm fine" he said, wondering why she wanted to know.

"Glad to hear it, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, husband "she said in a teasing tone of voice.

"Goodnight, Miss Lockhart" he rang off but felt oddly touched that she had gone out her way to check up on him.

Rufus looked from one to the other. "Okay that does explain what happened after I asked you two _only_ to go on a date. I must say that you both follow orders really well, to the point you go above and beyond the call of duty. However, what are we going to do about this situation?" he asked them after everything had been explained to him.

"We are going to annul this marriage due to it wasn't consummated. My lawyer is drawing up the papers. You'll get a nice settlement" he assured Tifa.

"What? No!" Rufus said.

"Why not?" Tifa said. "I really don't care to be married to a tinsel haired guy with cat eyes" she said and he glared at her for this.

"You can't buy publicity like this for Sephiroth. Just think, a runaway marriage with the pair of you so much in love, former enemies turned husband and wife. His detractors will eat that shit up with a spoon. No, you must stay married for at least a year" Rufus insisted.

"No way" Tifa insisted. "I would sooner marry a frog, at least when I kiss it, there is a chance he will turn into a prince. Sephiroth will only ever be Sephiroth" she sternly said.

"What do you want?" Rufus asked her, getting down to brass tacks, knowing how she loved to bargain.

"Well I do have a list of demands...and then I might consider giving up a year of my life to be with him" she said.

"Don't I get any say in this matter?" Sephiroth asked them.

"You can talk later" she said. "I want a decent house, not a crappy apartment, with at least three bedrooms" she read off.

"Three?" Sephiroth asked her, turning pale, remembering where he read why married couples got places with more bedrooms then they needed.

"You'll need an office" she explained, wondering what he was thinking.

"Oh" he said.

"A brand new kitchen, the furniture shall be paid for by you, of course. I want a pool and a greenhouse to raise orchids in" she read off.

"You raise orchids?" Rufus interrupted her.

"No. Sephiroth does" she said dismissively.

"It's a very relaxing...and manly hobby" he said defensively.

"Right" Rufus said, sounding unconvinced at this.

"That uniform has to go, it's embarrassing, he already has his SOLDIER uniform; He's wearing that from now on. I shall become his events calendar manager and we get to pick and choose what he attends..." she read off and Sephiroth could only listen as each demand of hers, benefitted himself more than her and wondered why she was suddenly on his side.

"Okay, I have some counter demands" Rufus said after agreeing to everything.

"Shoot" Tifa said.

"Tifa can't be a virgin for much longer even if your marriage is a sham, no one can find that out" he said.

Sephiroth blushed at this and so did Tifa. "Do I have to remind you that she could die from mako poisoning if she sleeps with me?" Sephiroth countered that.

Rufus suddenly looked nervous and poked his two finger together, "now there are shots to counteract that and she's had them" he admitted.

"What? You had me vaccinated against my will just to go out a date with Sephiroth...in case we...?" Tifa demanded.

"No because of Cloud, I had your doctor include it in your booster shots a long time ago. You have a thing for mako enhanced men" he explained and she relaxed. "That you are a virgin was in your charts."

"You're a virgin?" Sephiroth asked her, clearly suprised.

"Did you think I wasn't?" she demanded.

"No I just assumed because you lived with Cloud..." he protested.

"Oh just because a guy lives in a different room, you think I'm screwing him? Am I doing Vincent too?" she taunted him.

"You've been after Cloud forever! Even I know that!" he snapped at her.

"Well you're wrong" she said and Rufus winced as he witnessed the first fight of the newly wedded couple, he muttered that he would have a couple of locations for their new home picked out by the next week and shooed them out of his office...and wondered what it was going to be like with them living together.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you Sakurablossomhime for help with this chapter, I sure love to write with this lady.

TIFA

Tifa blinked against the rising sun as she watched Sephiroth pace through his katas as he did every morning, wearing just a pair of combat boots and a pair of old combat pants. He held a wooden practice sword in place of his Masamune and moved with perfect grace and coordination, his hair swirling around him, exposing the flawless skin of his well chiseled torso. The sight was enough to bring a lesser woman down on her knees in worship of the deity he so resembled, so you can only imagine the effect he was having on his still untouched, virginal wife who had lived with him for one month, wore his ring and shared his last name.

"With his personality, he should look like a middle aged accountant" she said sourly. She hadn't planned on becoming attracted to him but as they say; one covets what they see all the time and she freaking lived with him! That he was visually stunning was an understatement and of course she knew that, they didn't put him on recruitment posters in the past because he was your average guy. Just looking at the posters was enough to make an average woman sigh, to see him up close was enough to make her blood boil and give her a full body orgasm. Still here she was, in a sexless marriage with a sex god who seemed to have no interest in it. _Oh the irony_ she thought as she continued to watch the show she had accidently caught one time and found herself setting her alarm so as to never miss it again. He finally straightened up and placed the wooden sword over his shoulder, to put it away for tomorrow's hot display, unaware of his daily voyeur watching him.

Tifa flopped back in bed, feeling as frustrated as ever and wondered what was wrong with him. At first she thought, he might be gay but didn't see him acting any different around attractive males. She leaned up to watch his pale shoulders disappearing around the side of their opulent house and knew the next hour would be spent with him pruning and tending his orchids in the greenhouse and then a quick shower and he would be at the breakfast table looking immaculately groomed to go into the office, the prefect morning person. She so loathed those people!

He rose with the sun and did his katas, his morning routine never varied. He wasn't hard to live with, he was clean and polite and... annoyingly sexy, but without a trace of vanity. He seemed to regard the body that so many wished to worship as just a way of moving around, seemingly unaware of the effect he had on almost any person with a pulse.

Tifa didn't know that Sephiroth desired her too but didn't know how to approach her with his own inexperience that he was too embarrassed to tell her about, he just assumed that she would approach him as women always did. However, Tifa had no experience in approaching men sexually and was waiting for him to approach her, assuming him to be much more experienced than he really was. So theirs was a situation of the blind leading the blind.

She had hoped that he would become attracted to her as there seemed to be something there at first. Rufus has found them the gray stone mini mansion, or more like gifted it to them. It was ten bedrooms in total and set on twenty acres of land that seemed endless. It featured a pool, a tennis court, theater in the basement and a ballroom. When Tifa had faintly protested that it was too much just for two people, Rufus had insisted it was little more than a pokey cottage no one in his family wanted to live in and insisted they take it. Most of the furniture was included, it was antique and probably worth a fortune but Tifa still had added her own touches. She loved to nap, so she had added several comfortable couches, patio furniture and her double hammock. Sephiroth allowed her free reign of anything to do with the house, expect for his study and his bedroom. But she had gotten in there anyway, she had dumped his cheap desk and relocated a dark cherry wood one in there from elsewhere in the house and had created a library right next door for his beloved books, complete with comfortable chairs for him to sit in as he read. Finally, for his bedroom, finding out the sexiest man alive laughingly slept in an extra long single bed, she insisted that he replace it with a queen size, if only to give his large frame more room to move around in, but also for appearances. He could hardly claim that they were sexually active if he was sleeping in a bed made for a university student. He had gotten into a snit about the fact that his duvet no longer fit his new bed. Asking why he was so attached to it, he had explained it was the first blanket that he had been given when he joined SOLDIER. Although he wasn't one to display emotions, he had looked offended when she had laughingly described it as being his blankie. She had solved the problem by finding a larger version of it online.

She had assumed that they would have sex soon after they moved into together but it hadn't worked out so far. She had even thought she has sensed a mutual attraction on the first night. She had been unpacking boxes when he had come into the room wearing just a pair of camouflage pants.

FLASHBACK

Tifa had nervously stood there holding a hand blender in her lackadaisical grip, wondering if Sephiroth was trying to seduce her, though he looked ill at ease himself.

"Miss Lockhart...Mrs. Crescent. Tifa, we need to talk" he said.

"About?" she asked him, licking her suddenly dry lips.

"I need to explain about myself to you. I don't want there to be any surprises when it comes to either of us. As you know, I am not purely human and don't want you to wonder about that part of me. If we are to live together, we shall have to trust each other and for some reason, I already feel I can trust you. There's nothing unusual about my skin, except I heal almost instantaneously without scarring, but that is mainly due to the mako in my system. Also I don't suntan nor burn; I could be in the sun for hours and my skin tone won't change in the slightest" he explained. "As for my hair, go ahead and get your fill of it" he said, holding a handful out to her.

"You want me to touch your hair?" she asked him in surprise.

"Miss..Tifa, my whole life, people have wanted to touch my hair to see what it feels like. Why should you be any exception? Please feel free, consider this a question and answer session; I won't hold anything back if you won't" he said and she experimentally took it into her small hand.

"It's like regular hair but really soft and thick at the same time" she said and then look more time to examine the entirety of his length as she rubbed it, noticing how it didn't seem to tangle.

"If you're done, my eyes are simply as they are and really no different than other people's, just with different pupils and a mako glow. They are nothing special. However, this is what you are probably the most curious about" he said as his wing materialized and he snapped it open. "I can materialize them at will, though they appear on their own sometimes if I feel threatened or during times when my emotions run high" he explained.

"May I touch it?" Tifa asked, curious.

"Them, there are two but only one is visible to the human eye. The other is made of pure ether. Sure go ahead" he said turning his back to her and she ran her hand reverently down the curve of the exposed one. "It's so soft" she said in admiration and then noticed he seemed to be shivering and snatched her hands away. "Am I hurting you?" she asked him.

"No, I've just never let anyone touch them before, they are… sensitive" he explained over his shoulder. "Feel free to continue" he encouraged her.

She continued examining the visual one and he obliged her by moving them to her shorter level, so she could explore the entire length of it and his shoulder where it was connected. She took her other hand, and without her knowing, he'd cast scan on her, and she was able to 'feel' the outline of the other as well. "They're so beautiful. Do you think you could take me for a ride someday?" she asked him.

"Short ones at first, I would have to get use to the extra weight" he replied and then he turned and she gasped as she could feel both wings enfolding her and she was drawn tightly against him. "Relax, it's little more than a party trick, you're perfectly safe" he said and then wrapped a length of her own hair around a long, large pale hand. "Your hair is so much thicker than mine but still soft" he observed as he looked down at her. Tifa felt like she was unable to speak being so close to him as the blender fell from her hand and both hands moved around his waist to rest on the warm skin there as she looked up him questioningly. He looked back at her with a strange expression on his face and with a snap, released her and shook himself. "I did want to mention that I do have a doctor I trust because, although I do heal very fast, I do feel pain. Bullets are the worst because they are forced out of me slowly as the wounds heal or worse, I may heal over them, causing them to have to be cut away. I would prefer if you cut them out of me if you have to, if you cannot reach my doctor. Are you willing to do that for me?" he asked her hurriedly.

"Yes"

END FLASHBACK

SEPHIROTH

Sephiroth got dressed and went into the kitchen to have his breakfast before heading for WRO headquarters. He'd expected Tifa to join him in her usual groggy way, looking like a sleepy two-year-old and almost literally dragging a teddy bear behind her. Well if the two-year-old in question was very shapely and wore little around the place. Part of the agreement was she was to dress conservatively in public as befitting the wife of a highly placed army official and she did that to the letter as she did everything else with brisk efficiency and had even hired a manager for her bar so she would have more leeway in the evenings. However, that didn't mean that she didn't ghost around their home in next to nothing and that was...exciting and frustrating at the same time. Had he lost his sex appeal? He could sense she was attracted to him and smell it in her pheromones but...nothing.

In every way she was perfect: an excellent roommate and personal assistant, she ran his life like _she_ was his General, he didn't ever have to worry about anything running out, he went to jot something down for him to replace it, only to find it already replaced. She had already figured out his favorite foods and although, the rules were for her to stay out of his room, somehow the laundry got out of his basket when he was away from the house and returned clean and pressed. She was exceptional as a date to events where they had to play the part of a happily married couple, she never seemed to forget a name or what a person enjoyed and that made the evenings go much smoother as everyone basked in the beauty and intelligence of his kind, young wife.

Oddly enough he found himself enjoying time spent with her, be it dancing at some stuffy ball or just watching in amusement as she stumbled her way into the kitchen in the mornings and complained about _him_ being much too cheerful in the mornings. He would always pour her a cup of coffee without being asked to. He remembered how things had gone when he had tried to seize control of his life back at first, resenting her constant intrusions.

FLASHBACK

Sephiroth was asleep when the door to his room as wrenched open and Tifa stood there looking irritated beyond belief. "Tifa, how many times do I have to ask you to knock?" he asked her.

"What the hell is this?" she demanded and threw the list of rules that he had posted on the fridge at him, he sat up, cursing for the first time that he slept naked.

"I have to live here too for the time being, so I feel we should establish some ground rules. Some of us have to go to work in the mornings" he replied.

"Some of these don't even make sense. I come and go undisturbed, it is not necessary to report if I will be home for dinner or not, if you make dinner go ahead and eat, I'll eat it or not eat it when I get home. That's horseshit! If you are going to be late for dinner, you call" she demanded.

"So just make dinner for yourself" he suggested.

"Oh no, as long as we live under the same roof, we eat at the same time unless we have a reasonable excuse for not being there" she concluded. "And this one: you do not stop by WRO headquarters unless invited. What are you trying to hide?" she demanded.

"Nothing, I don't need the distraction. How do you think it looks to my fellow officers that you're dropping by asking if I want to go to lunch?" he asked her.

"Like I care about your sorry ass" she countered.

"Like I'm pussy whipped" he answered.

"How are could you be pussy whipped because you have a young wife wanting to go to lunch with you?" she demanded with her hands on her hips.

"I'm an important man, yet I have nothing better to do than go off with you? You have to consider my position."

"I am considering your position. Heck your fucking position got us here in the first place! I've given up a year of my life for your fancy dancy position and what do I get? A list of rules like I'm some unruly teenager! I only go to your office because I don't know what to do with myself. I hardly see my friends, I only stop by the bar for a couple of hours each day; all so that I can be here with you to get to know you as a married couple should know each other...and this is what I get?" she yelled at him. Before he knew he had even moved, he was holding her and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't expect you to wait around for me. Go to the bar more often, invite people over. I don't expect you to live as I do because I'm not the sociable sort, but you are" he said to her.

"You don't mind me inviting people over?" she asked him.

"This is your home too, invite who you want" he assured her.

"You're not wearing anything are you?" she asked him with a blush.

"No" he said with squinted eyes and with an answering blush, realizing, she was wearing little more than a thin sleep shirt, with perhaps a pair of panties underneath.

"I'll turn my back and you get back into bed" she said with a giggle and peeked a bit as he leaped into there. "Here are my rules: we have dinner together at least once a week and every Friday is date night."

"What's that?" he asked her.

"We do something that we both enjoy together if we stay home or else we have a night out where you are sweet, flirtatious and romantic...or at least try to be" she demanded.

"I'm _not_ any of those things" he said with one arched white eyebrow and a smirk on his lips.

"So figure it out, you're the one so good at research" she said and with a mysterious smile to answer that smirk, she swept from the room.

He could only stare after her, half in irritation and admiration that she would dare stand up to him. No one stood up to General Sephiroth! Yet she did all the time. Telling him what to do was beyond unreasonable. Yet he found himself uncomfortably aroused at her display and the body memory at how she had felt in his arms.

END FLASHBACK

So he had researched what a proper date consisted of and felt that he had a proper medium that balanced her expectations with his and their first date night was scheduled for that night. He was almost humming as he strode into the kitchen to make his usual porridge and stopped dead in his tracks and looked up to where Tifa was balanced on the countertop fishing into the highest cupboard. He found himself staring upwards, noting she wore little more than a pair of sleeping booty shorts and a small tank top, all of which were riding up ridiculously high. The whole undersides of her bare breasts were exposed to him. A thin strip of fabric of her shorts kept her womanhood from full exposure, but her most of her pert behind showed. However, she seemed to be wearing black panties, those were just exposed around the edges. He realized how hard he was staring and averted his eyes, his pale cheeks sporting an almost imperceptible blush.

"Sephiroth, have you seen our punchbowl?" she asked him, looking down and couldn't help noticing how he was looking at her.

"No, but I'll find it later. You should get down, you might fall" he insisted and helped her down. He turned to the stove to start making to make his porridge, glad he was wearing his full uniform so that his jacket hid the "effects" her little display had had on him. Tifa just tugged her clothes back into place and smiled that her hunch seemed to have paid off and wondered how else she could provoke him. She had been complaining to Yuffie about his lack of sexual interest in her and Yuffie's response was; he needed to see more goodies on display.

"I'm ready," she said, stepping out of her bedroom.

"You're wearing that?" he asked her. She had on a sleeveless black silk dress that flowed to her knees that was sexy, yet demure at the same time. It seemed to flow across her body like a promise, showcasing each slim and toned inch of the martial artist, her hair head been artfully tousled and red lipstick is all that she wore in terms of makeup. She looked like a wet dream that should have never left the bed.

"What's wrong with this?" she demanded of him.

"It might be a _little_ much for where we are going" he said doubtfully. He now had a dress uniform that he was wearing, which was a much simpler and infinitely more flattering then the travesty from before.

"Where are we going?" she asked him with a frown.

"A recruitment picnic? You think this is a proper date night?" she asked him incredulously as fourteen-year-old boys leered at her.

"You said it had to be something we both enjoy, that included dinner" he said indicating towards the barbeque where hot dogs and hamburgers were being flipped.

She looked around to where people were milling about wearing their beige WRO uniforms with red caps. "You consider this a date?" she asked him.

"My version doesn't include a wedding" he replied with a dry chuckle.

"So what is all this about?" she asked him.

"Public relations. WRO throws a barbeque to promote themselves and all the local teenagers are invited. If any of them put in applications for future recruitment, they are contacted when they are of age. Beyond that, it's just a way to showcase all of us" he explained.

"And again, you think this is proper for our date night?" she asked him and sat back getting more bored by the second as people gave those 'be the best you can be and we want you' speeches and had to admit, her own husband's speech was the most boring of the lot. She found herself studying the uniformed people and realized that all of them were quite attractive.

"How was my speech?" he whispered to her upon his return.

"Awe inspiring" she replied.

"Good, another ten applications and we can call it a night" he explained.

"Really?" she said and then went up to a group of uniformed women and seemed to be whispering to them and they all nodded, Sephiroth watched in suspicion as they all disappeared into a nearby building. His eyes got wide as they all got onto the stage and Tifa was suddenly wearing a _really_ tiny WRO uniform that included booty shorts. She picked up the microphone and purred "Boys, you have listened to a whole bunch of boring speeches so far from men. However, gentlemen, we want you too" she intoned and all the men in the audience froze in shock as each woman pulled off her hat as she was introduced and her hair drifted free and looked at the audience with smoldering eyes. "Now all of these fine ladies are happy to answer any questions you may have. You can choose anyone you like" Tifa intoned. "Now get yourself a hot dog and fill out those applications" she said as she held one out suggestively and took a bite...and received a standing ovulation from the bored teens.

Sephiroth found her surrounded by teenaged admirers and she shooed them away. "What the heck was that?" he demanded.

"Recruiting, I understand that they had to print off more applications, they ran out of them after _my_ speech" she said. "Hotdog?" she asked him, handing him a plate, smiling like the cat that got the cream.

"You really are something" he said in admiration as he took a bite.

"You're always eating your hair" she teased him as she brushed back his bangs.

"Yes I know; tinsel hair with weird cat eyes" he said sourly.

"I quite like your hair, it's really a nice colour and your eyes are gorgeous" she said feeling oddly flirty and he surprised her by putting his hotdog down and his arms went around her, drawing her assertively against him.

"I like what you're wearing, I guess I must like; how do does it go? "a gal in a uniform" he said in an oddly husky sounding voice and a blush tinged the tops of her cheeks as his lips leaned forward to capture hers. Then a voice said-

"Can I have your autograph?" and they jumped apart.

"Sure, do you have a pen?" Sephiroth said to the boy in slightly off sounding voice.

"I meant her" he replied and Tifa turned her attention to him.

"Excuse me Miss... Mrs. Crescent, I must go see about how many applications have been submitted," Sephiroth said as he turned from her with a neutral expression on his proud, arrogant face and she felt weirded out at what had almost happened, but disappointed at that same time that it hadn't.

As for Sephiroth, he was breathing hard, but masking it well and was confused that he had acted that way towards Tifa and flustered as he got away from that situation as fast as possible.

That was it! She was going to have her say on this whole "blushing wet dream groom" business. Tifa decided as she quickly signed a few more straggler's hats, bags, even some had produced their cute bicep for her to sign. Sephiroth, despite his not wanting to, watched Tifa in every move she made. They were going to have to come to some sort of consensus on these…emotions and feelings and soon, he concluded.

After all the applications were tallied, Sephiroth and Tifa were on their way back to their home. Every since that moment they'd shared, each were tense and both had an agenda they wanted to get out of their systems, and tonight was going to be the night. Sephiroth had driven them and actually had driven them home as well this time, surprisingly. Tifa's mind was abuzz with what she was going to say. To the side of her, Sephiroth was trying to create more sanctions in his mind but was quickly approving and dismissing them as they came. It wouldn't do to upset her, but this had to be resolved as it was getting out of hand. Didn't she know he was trying to protect her maidenhood? Sephiroth was uncertain as how he had been feeling. She was the one being convoluted with her tiny clothes and abundance of wonderfully pale flesh always on display. Didn't she realize he was a man and not some strange combination of brother/eunuch as she seemed to regard him to be?

Once they were back that the house, Sephiroth, ever the gentleman, came to Tifa's side and opened the door for her. She was up and out the car like lighting, to get to her room and change into something…appropriate for the damage she was trying to cause, courtesy of one girl shopping trip with Yuffie.

Sephiroth came into the house and was ready for his conversation he had to have with Tifa. There was no other way they would be able to continue their co-habitation this way.

Sephiroth stood in the main living room with his arms crossed. He couldn't tell why he was nervous, though it would never show on his face. She hadn't said one word to him and had bounded out of the vehicle like an escaped prisoner.

He turned around when he sensed movement behind him, sensibly knowing it was her with one hand and finger raised as to state something. That quickly died in his throat as he took in her visage. Her kimono had a pattern of red and gold cranes on it against a black background and fastened with red obi with black braided cord in the center at her tiny waist. However it seemed to be too small on her at how it exposed an almost indecent amount of cleavage and how it barely reached mid thigh on the long legged girl. She looked back at him to gauge his reaction as she walked towards him.

And thats when bullets ripped through all angles of him, through a couple windows, shredding him like paper and he collapsed on top of her and with a gasp that told her to call his doctor. He was down.

Tifa called his doctor, was informed by the polite receptionist that he was on a golfing tour. So she sharpened every knife in the place and called her friends, anticipating a long night ahead of her. She ripped her new sexy kimono like it was cheap cotton, wanting to at least clean him up before she started digging for bullets.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you sakurablossomhime for the chapter help again, muah! You rock!

Tifa called Yuffie, who promised that she would round up the rest of their friends to help and come right over, placing a waterproof blanket on his bed, she carefully managed to get Sephiroth there and undressed him. She blushed slightly to see him completely naked for the first time and then gathered her wits about her, realizing that _now_ was not the time for pervy gawking on him. Looking away, she draped a towel over his groin for modesty. He was groaning and clearly in pain and seemed out of it as she held his hand and tried her best to sooth him. He kept saying her name but made little sense, his pupils widely dilated and unfocused. It was so much worse than any movie she'd ever saw. There was literally blood everywhere. In his hair, along his perfect face, and his beautiful body that was actively healing as fast as she could blink with those would be soon deadly bullets in him, causing him to run a fever from the foreign objects.

She was a fighter so the blood wasn't a first for her. It was just a first to see her ex-enemy turned her husband, ethereal and strong, so fragile and in need.

Yuffie arrived with the usual suspects: Cid, Vincent and Barret.

"Well Tifa what did your husband do to make someone clear wanna turn him into Swiss cheese?" Barret asked her.

"I suspect that not everyone is glad the General is back" Vincent said in his usual calm voice, bending over to look at Sephiroth's wounds.

"It's there anything I can give him for the pain?" she asked him, knowing him to be the most augmented person in the room besides Sephiroth and therefore, the one to ask.

"No, the mako in his system would just nullify it anyway. He metabolizes entirely too fast, faster than even myself. The best thing to do it give him something to bite on and cut them from him as quickly and cleanly as possible. We'll hold him down while you and Yuffie take the bullets out of him" Vincent said. "Sephiroth, can you hear me? We're going to help you but it is going to…be very unpleasant and painful and I deeply apologize ahead of time."

Sephiroth's eyes seemed to focus at the older man's words. "Do it" he ordered them.

"I don't want to hurt you" Tifa said with hesitation in her voice, leaning over him.

He softly reached up and brushed a tear away that she didn't know she was crying. "I never thought I would see the day someone was crying over me" he said with wonder in his voice. "You have to do this because you promised you would. It will hurt less this way. Will you do it?" he asked her, his hand stroking her face and her own hand covered his and she nodded. Bending over, she softly pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and they shared their first kiss since the one unremembered at their wedding. It was hesitant and brief, but still counted.

"Damn, it must be nice to be Sephiroth, made into mincemeat and still romancing the ladies" Barrett said.

"Yuffie, start boiling the water while I gather clean towels" Tifa ordered her.

Sephiroth tried to remain still as the Tifa and Yuffie as gently as possible, cut into his flesh and removed bullets with needle nose pliers, making a mess of his perfect skin. Small gasps of pain came from him and what little color he had drained from his face while all three men struggled to hold him down. At some points he miraculously passed out, Sephiroth could take a lot of pain, his childhood had seen to that, but even he could only take so much. Tifa longed to comfort him but knew that to stop would just be prolonging the agony. Finally, the last one was removed and all their shoddy surgery healed seamlessly on his body and everyone departed to leave the couple alone.

Tifa comforted him with gentle words and kisses as she sponged the blood from his body until he was clean as she was able to get him. Easing the waterproof blanket out of under him, she covered him with his duvet.

"Drink this, it's a sleeping draught that Yuffie gave me for you. It'll help you sleep while your body heals completely. When you wake up tomorrow morning, I'll run you a nice hot bath and fix you something to eat" she told him.

He drank it and then lay back with a groan, feeling light headed from loss of blood and still aching from his rough treatment and feeling completely emotional, but trying not to show it. Tifa had been strong for him and did something she hadn't wanted to do-for him. How often had he wished for someone to be there for him when he needed someone, anyone, only to have no one? Yet she was there for him, she had given up so much to be with him, even her liberty.

"Thank you" he said and meaning for everything, for changing his life, taking away his loneliness and caring for him when no one gave a fuck what happened to him, as it always had been and making him feel human. He had been adrift since returning from lifestream and she had grounded him, improved every aspect of his life and built them a home that he actually wanted to return to...to see her every day. She made him feel things he couldn't even fathom what they meant.

"Get some sleep" she said stroking his hair back and he leaned his head into her touches, wondering what it was about her that made him long for her touches when he normally didn't like being touched and put his neediness down as being from the lingering pain. Taking his hint, she stroked his hair as he drifted into sleep finding his soft sighs endearing, sweet even.

"Just rest" she said pressing a final kiss on his forehead.

"Tifa, I lo..." he said on the edge of sleep and then drifting off, those glowing eyes hidden away behind his dark lashes, the color of her own hair. His perfect peace and serenity more from her presence than the sleep draught because he trusted her the way he never had a single person before.

She sat with him a few more minutes, holding his hand and watching him sleep, marveling at how vulnerable he looked and wondering what he had been trying to say. She gently tucked his hand under the covers, glad tomorrow was Saturday so he didn't have to go into work. She turned off the lights and then went to bathe and then go to turn in herself for the night. She was little disappointed about what might have happened between them, but was just glad that he was going to be okay.

Morning found Sephiroth as it always did: entirely too early and full of thoughts. As he lay there taking in his own natural glow along his skin from his eyes lighting up the still darken room as the sun was just coming to a zenith on the horizon. He quickly replayed the night beforehand up until the very moment he gotten placed into the bed, noticing that he was cleansed of the dried blood as much as could be done. He was musing how even though that had been antagonistic at best initially, he'd saw those tears Tifa shed for him before she had to cut those bullets free from him. He knew, yes he wouldn't have died, but it would have become so much worse and quickly without her and her friend's quick response and the men holding him still as to not cause further pain.

He was going along in this thought process, and hit a mental stumbling block. He'd remember rousing from passing out, only to be offered a foul tasting, but quick acting sleep draught from Wutai that he was very familiar with, only to have said something _extremely inappropriate_ to Miss…Mrs…, Tifa.

He could feel how hot his face was getting with shameful embarrassment. Now he was irritated because shame always gave birth to embarrassed irritation. He swiftly sat up in the bed and covered his face with both hands, willing away the anger that was hot on irritation's heels. He cast aside his duvet and realized all at once that he was _naked_ as well. In his rational mind, he knew he would have had to been for them to get to all the areas that were hit. In another time, he might have even preened to know she had had to gaze upon his nudity. Where did that thought come from? Why would he have a care one way or another if he was seen naked in front of her?

He swept from the bed and into his training clothing that even he'd noticed had dwindled down to a little more than his boots and cargo pants. At first it had been a fluke, he was hot and he hadn't felt like putting a shirt on and his trench coat was unnecessary at this point. Then it had… turned into something completely different. He'd felt the heat radiating from Tifa's eyes the first time she'd caught him during his katas. He'd went along his merry way, playing oblivious, if only not to embarrass her and have to backpedal that she hadn't been blatantly staring at him. What became a fluke, then became a _daily_ practice it seemed and he found himself wanting to give her a show, though he did no more or less than before. Oh he had smelled her sweet scent on the wind as well on the windier days too, that was for him and him alone, and so he went along being the oblivious _GENERAL Sephiroth_ to common peeping.

Despite how he had just felt at saying _those_ …words, taking in the facts, including this one that he didn't _want_ her to stop wanting him in that way, he just couldn't take _the_ words back even if they had been half formed. His mind now knew what his heart had known for a time: Sephiroth, would-be destroyer of worlds and the direct demolisher of hers in so many ways; was in love with Tifa Lockhart, now Tifa Crescent and his mind all at once caught up to that thought. He had a very _real_ wife who clearly felt very strongly for him, otherwise no tears would have been shed. Along with her being his very _real_ wife, she clearly on some level _wanted_ what he could offer her, and her alone, offer him. They were match made in Ifrit's realm.

He quickly stalked towards the shower and got in, showering the rest of the blood that couldn't be gotten off of himself away and down the drain, along with his sweat from his _katas_ he hadn't at all been focused on. Once he was done, he dressed and prepared to go for said breakfast.

Once he'd made it to the kitchen, he noticed shockingly there was no Tifa either. He was worried in light of what had just happened the night before and he was on the move to her room and through her door without permeable. He knew he could withstand a lot more before he'd succumbed, but she was not augmented and they, they being the ones that shot him, could and would use anything to hurt Sephiroth, including a wife he was just now understanding, he would truly miss and mourn if something were to happen to her.

Once her broached her door, he quickly took in all the details. It wasn't as if he had never saw her room beforehand, this was just on a grand scale. A huff and then two drew his full attention to the bed, to the left of the entry to her room where an ominous blob under a very basic, yet colorful comforter, that bunched and stretched.

"Sephiroth…mmm" Tifa sleepily guessed at the non-noise of him entering.

It seemed the small woman was just as alert and aware in many ways as himself, definitely TURK level of awareness, most likely from her martial arts training to have a 6th sense about things like disturbed air and a pressure to a room.

The cover flipped back slowly to expose a groggy Tifa. The only thing is she _exposed_ more than her brain had caught up to yet. There, in the bed, laid a nude from the head down to where the covers still bunched at her legs, a _bare-chested Tifa_ staring up at him with a groggy smile and apparently not feeling his laser point eyesight on the _assets_ presented to him. He was taking in so much detail at such a fast pace as if to try to permanently etch what he was seeing into his mind, that the first go over, he'd missed Masamune's telltale slivery scar that was very thin and snaked along the left breast, traveling down her abdomen to her right hip. While to the normal eye, it would have just come off like a slight discoloration, as whomever healed her from his wrath had done a wonderful job to ensure she wouldn't suffer extensively with a hideous scar. Looking at it was enough though to douse the raging hardon that her bountiful breasts had gifted.

Sephiroth quickly diverted his eyes while he spoke to her.

"I am sorry for interrupting your sleep. I was…concerned when you didn't make it to our arranged breakfast" _or leer at me earlier than that during my morning exercises_ his mind provided.

"Oh I am sorry I missed breakfast. Seeing you like you were…brought back some memories and I was worried "she stated sort of airily, almost under the influence of something. At this she rubbed absently at her scar and thus realized _finally_ , she was bare from the waist up to his view, to which she quickly wrapped the covers around her and blushed, but pushed on through the embarrassment.

Before she could get the sentence out she wanted, Sephiroth had of course drawn the wrong conclusion. He knew it was of Nibelheim when he saw her reach up to rub at her scar, but he didn't know it wasn't that she was thinking of _him_ as that monster that robbed her of her father and her friends, only that Jenova had worn his body and soul to her machinations and seeing him bleeding _actually_ made her think about when they had to put him down like a common animal because of her severe interference at the sake of the rest of humanity. He couldn't know how that weighed equally on her soul heavily every time she looked now at the real him, social inept or not. She knew why he was that way.

Sephiroth made to leave the room quickly but with her own shockingly quick reflexes, covers and all now, she grabbed one of his hands and stopped him. He still faced away from her, flustered and confused on how to feel. He felt like a monster every time something from his past came back to him.

"Please wait, you misunderstand" Tifa stated also frustrated that he thought so little of her and the relationship they'd built. Yes, they had history, some of it very dark and it would never be glossed over, but she could and would forgive him something he didn't completely do by his own accord.

"When I saw you like that, I…I didn't know what to do. I was scared, okay? I know you are built of tougher stuff but I was scared and…and I wasn't keen on being a widow" she finished.

"Why do you keep me? I know I remind you of…everything you lost. I saw your scar in your nudity, _my mark_ upon your body when you were nude. I am sorry I viewed you when you are…not yourself" he said put his head down, hair covering his face.

"Stop that. We've come too far for back stepping. Seeing you like that hit home, how I really am enjoying having you around with all your hang ups and quirks, and that I l…like you" Tifa said hedging the real word she was going to say honestly, afraid it wouldn't be returned.

Something in Sephiroth wanted to just _touch_ her more though he was deeply afraid he would overstep his boundaries. He couldn't shake the feeling and went with it. He pulled her against him, wrapping her in his arms and while she was still trying to fumble now over words still coming out her mouth, he bent down and he melded his mouth to hers, instantly silencing her and relaxing her more than the sleeping draught she had taken as well to sleep through her nightmares she knew she would have had from seeing all of his blood.

And this was how Sephiroth and Tifa became truly honest with their feelings, that there was indeed something tentative between them. Something even more wonderful on the horizon.

They ate their breakfast together, sharing shy smiles but glad that the air had been cleared and now each knew that real affection lay between them. He ate his boring porridge while she her sugary cereal, that she had added more sugar to. "It's a wonder your teeth have rotted out of your head yet from your sugar intake" he teased her.

"I thought you liked me sweet?" she teased back, taking his hand and giving it an affection squeeze before returning to her sickeningly sweet concoction. "So what do you want to do today?" she asked him, happy they had the whole day to themselves.

"Not go on another date; we seem to have bad luck with them" he replied. "Though I guess our first one didn't turn out _too bad_ " he said in a voice that made them both look up sharply; he had actually sounded flirtatious!

"Well, it seems you're improving" she returned with a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. "I was thinking we could do a little something special next Friday. It's really not a big deal, but I'm turning twenty four that day" she admitted.

"That sounds pretty special to me. Shall we have a huge party and invite the whole world to attend? What's the point of having a ballroom if all we have done with it so far; is park the odd furniture we can't figure out if we want to keep or not in there? Or I can take you some a weekend vacation. Or a dinner of your choice" he said persuasively.

"I hate large displays, how about you make me dinner and we just spend to night together?" she suggested.

"We do that almost every night. Don't you want to do something more special? Besides, you don't like the way I cook" he pointed out.

"You don't seem to use spices, so everything is so bland, it's like eating in a military mess hall" she said.

"Where do you think I learned to cook?" he asked her and she laughed. "Okay, I'll look up your favourite recipe and follow it to the letter. Another boring night spent with me on your birthday" he promised her.

"I wouldn't have it any other way" she said.

"I hope you don't mind, but I am working on a lot of exciting projects for developing new orchids. Do you mind if I spend a couple of hours in the greenhouse this morning? Once I'm done, I was thinking we could go to the farmer's market so I can see if there is anything new I can pick up, then we can stop somewhere for lunch and buy everything we need for dinner tonight in the food section. I bet that guy is there with those steaks we had the last time" he suggested.

"Oh those were delicious, that sounds like a great idea and I shall let you go to the greenhouse; **if** we can watch the new movie I bought tonight" she said and he looked pained at this suggestion. "It's based on the military" she pointed out.

"It's a chick flick about a female officer falling in love with a male officer on the opposing side of her own army and how love can conquer all. It's just a chick flick wearing a uniform. But if those are your terms, I surrender and shall even make the popcorn to view this farce...er, wonderfully epic film" he said, mockingly raising his hands as if in surrender.

"Okay don't be too long" she said, standing up and leaning up to give him a soft kiss and hug and he could only wonder at how giddy he felt from just simple affection, if this is how he felt just from a simple hug and kiss from her; how was he going to survive their inevitable wedding night.? It looked like they might have to make room in the lifestream for him...again.

"You could come with me?" he suggested and she looked at him with a bored expression on her face. Although she could appreciate his talent and patience when it came to raising orchids and beauty of them, she certainly found it mind bogglingly dull to be there while he carefully watered and pruned each one and could recite all the facts of each at the drop of a hat.

"No it's okay, I have to see if there is anything salvageable about the dress uniform you wore last night. I'll attend to that and the bloody towels while I wait for you" she said and gave his bottom a pat. He faintly blushed but smirked as well as she walked away from him wearing a pair of ballerina flats, super tight black jeans torn at the knees and thighs and a short red shirt that exposed her navel. He had been bothering her about those jeans being torn and now was plotting their removal, _with scissors_ as he admired her plush rear. He then went out to the greenhouse, actually he did have some interesting projects on the go, but mainly needed to make a private phone call far from Tifa's prying ears.

Pulling out his PHS, he scrolled through his contacts screen to a number he had never called before, in fact, he had no idea how it had even _gotten_ into his contacts. Perhaps Yuffie was a better ninja than he gave her credit for being?

"The Kisaragi residence, this is the lady of the house speaking. Talk to me Seph-Seph honey bunny" Yuffie answered in her own whimsical way.

"You could just call me _Sephiroth_ , your moniker for me certainly isn't any shorter than my actual name" he complained.

"Giving you a nickname is my way of saying welcome to the family. If you're going to be married to my bestie; you're a special friend of mine. How are you by the way?" she suddenly asked out of concerned, skipping topics like other people did rocks.

"Well thanks to your and Tifa's quick response and everyone else's help, I'm just fine today. I do thank you" he said.

"Don't mention it, I'll always be there to dig bullets out of you" she assured him. "Now what can I help you with or have you just called to suggest we run away together and you make me a woman?" she asked him.

"Nothing as extravagant as that. I was informed that Tifa shall be turning twenty four this Friday coming up and I wish to throw her a surprise party. Nothing huge, we can use our ballroom and keep the guest list small. I was wondering if you would help me arrange it?" he asked her.

"Well Tifa does hate people making a fuss, but...the theme shall be Wutai, I know the perfect catering firm for that. For decorations; I have a whole locker full of furniture we can use. Is there furniture in there now?" she asked him.

"Nothing that can't be removed" he said mentally dialling the number for a used furniture donation place.

"Great, we will need flowers and lots of them and of course you will have to wear a kimono. You'll look so hot in one" she said.

"Must I? I don't really feel comfortable in them" he said with a frown. He had worn scrubs most of his formative years, so it was such a relief when he was issued his first uniform, therefore he was always comfortable when wearing a neural coloured uniform, which of course, included _pants_. Wearing a colourful kimono made him feel like he was attempting to cross dress.

"You must, now I shall take care of everything, including what you both shall be wearing" Yuffie insisted. "Your only job is to make sure she's away for at least half of the day so everything can be prepared and look amazing."

"Don't go to crazy with the guest list. I think she will want this kept small" he requested and Yuffie just make an ominous sounding laugh and rang off.

Feeling happy that the plans were underway, he hummed as he went about cross pollinating his orchids to create new ones. He had decided to wait until Tifa's birthday in order to have their actual wedding night, it meant they would both have to wait another week to consummate their new more affection relationship. He wanted it to be special for both of them when they first made love and decided that gifting his virginity to her would be a romantic gesture. He was suddenly glad that Angeal and Genesis weren't around, how they would have mocked him at referring to coitus as making love and as far as planning it to be special...they would have razed him to death that being in love was making him such a woman! Then he took in his surroundings...after they had finished making fun of his hobby. It was something he enjoyed, was good at and passionate about and he had won prises for...when he had registered them in contests under assumed names.

No one understood his hobby, except the person who got him into it. Aerith in her lifestream garden. He had expected to be banished into his own usual lonely lifestream existence, only to wind up in her garden and forced to spend what seemed like years with her, conversing.

Somehow the gentle dead girl had managed to banish Jenova, or at least render her harmless in his being and his sanity had returned and his days were spent in Aerith's calm presence. She knew the language of flowers and explained them to him. She had explained that he was an orchid; fussy to grow, finicky at best and temperamental, but in the end, the beauty of it was worth it. She explained that the very name meant testicle.

He actually had enjoyed his time spent there with her, learning to tend to her flowers and was disappointed when she had told him that it was time for him to return; that life wasn't done with him yet. He had actually begged her to either let him be reborn or to stay there. However, she had given him a hug and had explained that a life was planned for him that would be much better than before, to make up for his last life. That he would be happy this time and have something he never had before, from a person he wouldn't expect it from. He had opened his mouth to ask her to stop speaking in riddles; when he was back in the city of Edge.

He looked around sourly and wished yet again; would it have killed the goddess to give him non-descript black hair and blue eyes or some other _normal_ combination like that? He knew how this would play out, WRO would investigate sightings of him and he would be hunted down and returned to the lifestream...and decided he wasn't having that. So he did a pre-emptive strike and found the first civilian he could and had the young mother put him under citizen's arrest...and so did her toddler. She agreed to it, seeming the good natured sort and wheeling her baby carriage, they both approached WRO headquarters and demanded to speak to Reeve and Rufus. The people working the security desk didn't know what to make of Sephiroth showing up with a woman and her child, who obviously weren't his hostages.

So they sat in the waiting room while all people watched as Sephiroth sat beside the woman, Nancy and helped trying to entertain her two year old son, Gavin. Eventually both people arrived and they were shown into a board room with soldiers that were armed to the teeth and most of TURKS. All of them were confused as Sephiroth spent his time trying to convince the men that he had changed and was a normal as they were. It took hours and diaper breaks and lots of soldiers and TURKS helping to distract the incredibly bored Gavin but eventually, Reeve and Rufus had to admit that Sephiroth seemed different.

But what to do with him? Technically, Sephiroth should have been put on trial and court marshaled for deserting his post. However, SOLDIER no longer existed and what use would it be to put a man on trial who barely remembered his crimes? Rufus however had an idea. The Sephiroth of before was the biggest drive for recruitment and WRO was in bad need of more soldiers. What he suggested was, if they could restore him to his former position of glory and render him harmless in the public eye, he could prove invaluable again.

The position was mainly as him being a figurehead and came with many restrictions that he had to agree to, he didn't like it but it was better than a public execution. He had played their games and been the smirking pretty boy puppet they wanted him to be, living where they told him to, acting as they said and wearing what they insist he must; until Tifa put a stop to all of that.

Sephiroth now knew that Aerith meant that he would have Tifa, that she liked him and was enough for him; for now. He would have to try to remain indifferent to Tifa's advances until her birthday, now that they had a more touchy feely relationship, but he'd waited this long. What was another week? He questioned himself as he tidied up the green house and put all of his specimens back in order.

He found Tifa stretched out in the hammock, reading under the cherry tree. She closed her book and rose in greeting of him. His soul searing kiss took her breath away, "Ready to go?" he causally asked his aroused looking wife.


	5. Chapter 5

This is the final chapter courtesy of sakurablossomhime and myself, hope you enjoyed our little romp. Hope you're enjoying your day off America and shall review!

Roll 'em...

Sephiroth found that he was actually excited secretly about this foray for Tifa. He could say that he wasn't worried as well since Yuffie had said that she didn't do surprises, but he felt the need to celebrate her date of birth in the more grandiose way. How often did one find solace in one's ex-enemy?

Tifa was just perfect.

She was a small powerhouse that was all sass and intelligence. He knew that if Zachary or Angeal lived, they would have truly approved. Genesis would have stopped at her figure alone…ass. Speaking of Zachary…he'd saw him in the Lifestream and it was like old times, if one's death was shared with their second in command and truest friend. Angeal, he had found had moved on and Aerith stated that he had been at peace and she even believed he'd went on to be reborn. Sephiroth had been sad that he didn't get to see his friend while sane, but he was also happy because he knew that if anyone deserved to be reborn and have a chance to be honorable again, it was Angeal. He had no idea why Genesis was not there…He'd missed his hot headed friend and constant combatant to be the 'hero' of his convoluted poem "Loveless".

Sephiroth shook his head to clear his mind of all the thoughts that had been weighing him down. Now was all about Tifa. Since they'd been sneaking kisses and gentle caresses, he had not dreaded being touched quite so much at all anymore. In fact, if it was any skin on skin from Tifa, he was vibrating with excitement at the feelings it would produce as her fingers would trace along his nude chest, after he had revealed he _knew_ she lurked while he was doing his katas. Oh she was smug and bold as well. She didn't so much as flinch, figuring exactly what everyone else knew, there wasn't much if anything that Sephiroth was _not_ aware of, as that was his nature and he definitely would have made for a "terrible General otherwise," Tifa had giggled out before he had captured her arrogant mouth in another soul stealing kiss.

Tifa had went on an "female's day" or some such with Yuffie and he was used to it. He had gotten her flustered on purpose with careful kisses and fondles, that she left her PHS behind. Point for Sephiroth. Now via her phone, he had access to contacts for her other friends. After calls to all of them, some met with awe and surprise he'd want to do something so sweet for her, he had the whole of the group cooperating, even Vincent who never answered his phone for fear that it was Yuffie, though the caller id read the name. He was so old, Sephiroth's youth supplied him in his mind, making him laugh. Just like his parent not to get it…Yes he knew that Vincent was his _true_ father, though the bat didn't, though he saw the question in his eyes every time he saw Vincent truly look at him. He knew he saw himself and Lucrecia. Yes, he also knew she was his real mother as well. He had taken it quite well, especially since he had been insane from a entity that had been forced on his mother and himself in her womb.

"I look like an idiot" he complained in the Wutai store.

"What do you ladies think?" The intrepid Yuffie asked of every very married woman in the exclusive and very conservative store they were in, as each woman almost sighed out loud at the sight of him in his silver phoenixes against black silk kimono with a dark grey obi. Of course they all looked flustered to be caught obviously checking out the tall, extremely pale man.

"Yuffie, I do not appreciate being placed in the audience's obvious attention" he groused, well unless it was exclusively Tifa.

"Yeah, yeah Seph-Seph I know you don't like attention drawn to yourself. Gotcha. I just needed a read on how you look to others. I will admit that Tifa has good taste. Anywho, excuse me while I find two more men's kimonos for the festivities for Vinny and Tseng, so they will be presentable. I got to have my men looking decent. You look like a wet dream and every girl in here would agree, if they were all not bogged down by tradition" she practically screamed.

"Shouldn't you have a little respect for your own culture, Princess?" He asked her a little confused about the 'other' men she spoke about and why specifically them.

"I do, but I also know, it is so backwards that women don't hardly know which way is up. You see those chauffeurs? What do you notice about them?" She asked him.

"They seem a... burly lot" he agreed.

"Ex-military, body guards that take a pill every morning that renders them impotent while on the job, to guard the upper echelon ladies of Wutai" she explained.

"But you're royalty where is your...?" he asked.

"I can protect myself" she said."But I gotta know Seph-Seph, what is your deal?" She demanded.

"Deal?" He asked her.

"Tifa's not getting lovings from you. Do you like men?" She asked him.

"Ah that, I thought she would be more candid. She has not stated that she wants that of me and I am respecting that; or is that lost on you as well? I assure you that it has nothing to do with her at all; other than waiting for her permission" Sephiroth suddenly spouted off, surprised that he would say so much to the girl.

"Well that makes sense. What if I told you she was waiting for you to make the first move? Gawd but your children would be insanely beautiful. You know she longs to have children, don't you? Maybe one will have your silver hair and her eyes" Yuffie mused.

Children? he hadn't even considered them. Yet his he found his own imagination forming the looks of those children and found himself smiling at the idea. With what he had already faced in his life; really what was diaper changing and some sleepless nights?

"Yuffie, why are we talking about Tifa and mine's sexual escapades? Are you two always this free with our comings and goings?" Sephiroth shut down the conversation as a defense mechanism, but taking that tidbit of information to heart.

"Geez you're just like him even in personality; bitchy much? I get it, you're embarrassed because I broke the cardinal sin of talking about _SEX_ , I am just truly trying to help, Seph-Seph. Trust me, she wants you in that way" Yuffie overcame his snappishness and purchased the kimonos for all three men. Sephiroth went to stop her, but she only laughed and handed him his own. They left the store and she stopped once more for the finishing touches, she stated. Then he went to Yuffie's favourite kimono store for women as they carried conservative kimonos and other versions of them, the type meant for the _bedroom_ only. He chose for Tifa, the much more conservative version of the kimono she had displayed herself in to him and then with a blush, had them add the racy version of it as well for _after_ the party. Then they stopped at a jewelry store where they squabbled over the type of engagement ring to buy Tifa, he hadn't gotten to give her one in the first place and wanted to correct that. He wanted something more compact that wouldn't get caught on things, whereas Yuffie seemed to be of the opinion that a diamond that wasn't the size of a quail egg, was nothing short of an insult. Finally one was decided on and purchased.

Sephiroth looked at the girl for a time and eventually had to just come clean, since it wasn't anyone's fault that this was the case, it just was. "I apologize for being short. The second reason I have not moved forward is because well…well, I am a virgin and I am not certain that I can meet with her standards, especially if she's had a lover before me, which I am loath to think of. Surely with Cloud…" Sephiroth said flustered and looked away, letting the conversation die as they had purchased the clothing and ring and were now in the nearby park, sitting and conversing.

"oh. Oh. OHH. I am so sorry Seph-Seph. With you _looking_ the way you do, I just assumed that you, you well…" Yuffie fidgeted and felt flustered tears prick her eyes. She was embarrassed because she had been prodding at a very sensitive subject that _didn't_ need outsider's opinions and she had all but trampled all over it.

Sephiroth looked as the girl next to him squirmed. He knew she hadn't meant to, but turnabout was fair play and he felt like zinging her back. "So I look like a whore?" Sephiroth said with his stone face in place, though he was just teasing her. She couldn't have known that that he was a virgin. By rights, he shouldn't have been, but since his life had been taken over so early on by Jenova…How does one fit sex into being insane?

Yuffie all but squeaked out in denial and more tears fell. Wait that was not what he wanted. "Leviathan, they are going to kill me for my mouth one day. Total foot in mouth syndrome. I am sorry Sephiroth, I meant no offense, honestly. Tifa is my friend and I just want her to be happy. Being in love and also sharing that aspect of yourselves is just another beautiful piece you both deserve. I know you didn't have the happiest of lives, but I want to see you happy as well, truly happy. The one thing you have in common is the one thing you fear...and that is her virginity. There has never been another. We all rooted for Cloud for the longest time, but it just didn't work out. Cloud is just…Cloud. I am not trying to be a downer, I swear. I just don't think he could have moved forward on either of his loves" Yuffie stated solemnly and wiping at her tears, Sephiroth knowing exactly what she spoke of. He tried not to hurt when he heard things that were from her past. He believed Tifa always said "Dilly dally, Shilly shally" when he would brood on something.

His heart was lighter to hear that Tifa was in the same boat and he would honestly try his best to make this the most special birthday ever. He noticed that the girl was still sadden from his behavior.

"Yuffie, it is fine. I honestly was…was planning for Tifa's birthday to be very special indeed, if you understand my intentions. It is why I wanted to chance the surprise party, dress in Wutaian wear, have everything as perfect as possible because, I… I wanted it to be our first time together, _that_ way. I was just unsure she truly felt that way for me. Yes, we shared intimate moments but this is definitely on a grander scale, don't you agree?" Sephiroth concluded.

Yuffie looked up with a pleased smile as the tears had finally stopped and placed her small hand on the back of his in a sign of support, while smiling at him as they both rose from their bench and headed to his place start the full preparations.

Sephiroth looked around the ballroom, finding it hard to believe it was the same room, it had been transformed into a Wutaian garden, complete with pagodas and benches for people to sit on, when they weren't seated and eating or dancing. It was the first party that he had ever arranged, well with much help from Yuffie, but he felt that it was going to be one that everyone would continue to bring up in the future. He felt it would be his first triumph as a husband to give this gift to his wife. She hadn't been what he wanted at first as he hadn't yet realized she was exactly what he'd needed. He had made every effort to drive her away, but she had stuck to him like a barnacle, refusing to give up on him, no matter how surly and cantankerous he had been with her, until she wormed her way into his stubborn heart.

This day was all about Tifa and that made him happy...and then the night would be all about _them_. He had everything ready for that, scented candles, champagne and more flowers. Okay perhaps he was being a _tad_ girly about their first time, but in his defense, Yuffie had told him what to buy. His ears seemed to burn a bit at the tips and he could have sworn he heard Zack's guffaws coming from somewhere and then brushed it off. Why should he be embarrassed that he was married to a beautiful and wonderful woman who he inspired him to be a better person and wanted to do nice things for?

He shook his head to clear it and went into Tifa's room to place her kimono in her bed with a rose on top of it and a note urging her to put it on and join him in the ballroom. He was grateful Barret and Marlene had taken her out for a birthday brunch to help get her out of the house. He really was starting to like her friends and wondered when he had improved socially; yet another thing to thank Tifa for.

Exiting her room, he went to check on the preparations again. The food was to be buffet style at food stations, rendering waitresses unless, except for the ones who would serve drinks and circulate with champagne and bus tables, who would be arriving a little later. Of course, once everyone was gone...he blushed slightly over this thought, feeling excited at the idea. He felt like such a teenager!

Tifa had had a lovely day with her two friends and got home fairly late in the afternoon, blushing in anticipation of what her handsome husband had planned for the evening. Surely when she had said she wanted to celebrate her birthday with him and him alone; he knew she had meant in the biblical sense? Since touching was now allowed, she had been dying to make love with him, but he kept saying they should wait, which was agonizing. His kisses excited her beyond reason and him touches seemed to send sparks dancing along her skin and electrifying her. He truly was sex on two legs and had promised it was going to happen.

However, what was he waiting for? If it was marriage; hello, they were married! There was nothing to hold them back as far as Tifa was concerned. She was a healthy young woman who had had shots to counteract the Mako in his system and he was the most beautiful male she had ever encountered...and she loved him She also was wondering about his sexual history, that he never seemed to want to speak of and had just assumed that he wasn't a kiss and tell sort of person. But now she was forced to consider he might be embarrassed by the sheer number of his conquests, while she had never even had one. Were the other women prettier than her with tons of experience that made him melt under their expert touches? How would she compete against that! Had he slept with Scarlet? She remembered hearing a rumour that she had a thing for him. Tifa suddenly felt sad and paused at the door to her room, why would someone like him, who had been with so many beautiful women, be content with some boring wife like her? she questioned herself. But cheered up at what she found on her bed. She hugged the kimono, glad that he had remembered what she had worn for him on their ill fated date night. She smelled the rose and read his note, smiling at how she had added x's and o's under his signature. Smiling in a way that could only be described as sly, she took off everything she had on her body, including her bra and panties.

She shivered slightly at feeling of the cool silk against her body and tightly cinched the obi around her waist and didn't even bother with shoes as she padded to the ballroom. Her mind forming a scene soft lighting and a cozy table for two while Sephiroth was also wearing "easy access" clothing. However she stopped dead to see their formally empty ballroom set up for what appeared to be an important party...for lots of people and Sephiroth's rose fell from her nerveless hand as she realized what he must have done. As in, disobeyed her orders. Her eyes did widen in appreciation of him wearing a kimono in his signature colours of silver and black...before her rage exploded."What the hell is all of this?" she demanded.

"I know you wanted a small affair, consisting of just the two of us, but I wanted to make your birthday more special. Don't worry, Yuffie helped me with the guest list and we just invited two hundred of your closest friends" he assured her with a smile.

"Have you lost your mind? I wanted, just you and I" she cried out at him.

"Yuffie assured me you would like everything" he said with a frown.

"Yuffie loves any excuse to throw a party. I'm leaving" she said and he grabbed the side of her kimono to stop her and both froze in shock when it tore along the shoulders and bared her breasts. She looked up at him as he stared at her exposure, having only seen her like this once before and going on instinct, hurriedly lowered his head and began suckling her already erect nipples. She gasped out loud at this and made a sound as her obi was yanked free and a hand cupped her bottom to lift her free of her kimono and lay her on top of it. Her own hands ripped at his own kimono and obi, not caring if they got shredded in her need to have him.

Sephiroth's mind could barely function as he helped her undress himself, in the realization that their first sex as a married couple was going to happen _right there and then_ when their guests could arrive at any minute, both were too far gone to care as she drew him into searing kisses to rob his mind of all rational thoughts. He gasped as she boldly stroked her hand along his thickening length, it was the most erotic feeling he had ever felt, as his own fingers explored the virginal depths of his wife, even with his inexperience, he was able to tell how wet she was as he ravished her lips with his own. He went to kiss down her body. "No" she cried. "Please, I need you right now" she practically begged him, gently tugging him forward with her hand until he was pressed against her entrance. He was poised over her, his hands holding his body over hers so they weren't quite touching.

"Tifa, there is something you should know before we take this final step together" he said, his voice thick with passion.

"Please do it. Don't you want me?" she ask him, bucking impatiently against him.

"Tifa, I love you and am glad your first time is with me, but know this; I'm a virgin too" he said and then with a quick lunge, was buried inside her and paused with a gasp. Tight, she was so tight and soaking wet.

Tifa's hymen had been so tattered from her active lifestyle, that little pain was involved, "I love you too" she cried out as she wrapped her legs around his waist and took his face in her hands for another searing kiss and he began to move in her in long, slow strokes that soon had both ex-virgin breathing heavy at the stimuli.

Sephiroth hadn't count on how good sex would actually feel and vowed to do this lots and lots in the future as he experienced a side effect he had never expected, it was as if his emotions had run away from him as all the love he had been wanting to admit to Tifa, seemed to crash over them until it was like their hearts and souls were joined along with their bodies. It was like he was drunk on emotions and they kept on rising to the surface as he tried to suppress them, bent on bringing her to climax before he spent himself.

The way that she gripped him and clenched on his didn't help and her cries were music to his ears as she moaned out his name like it was a personal prayer to her. He noticed how she seemed to be jogging her hips into his own and trembling, he stopped holding back and pounded himself within her as hard as he could and a sharp cry from her announced she had had her first glorious orgasm. He couldn't hold himself back at how violently her walls trembled around him and he literally threw his head back and _howled_ as his first bodily orgasm ripped from him and his wings materialized at his heightened emotional state.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked her frantically.

"You hurt me so good" she returned with a beatific smile, looking languid now that they had finally made love. "Seriously you were a virgin?" she asked him and he smirked back at her. He bent to kiss her and then someone cleared their throat and both people looked over to where Yuffie stood there flanked by Vincent the Tseng...and Barret, who actually wore a blue kimono and had his hands clapped over Marlene's eyes, who wore a pink one...and they were not the only ones there. Everyone looked at the beautiful naked couple...and shifted uncomfortably.

Sephiroth and Tifa blushed, but at the same time they both sported ear to ear grins, he picked up their ruined clothes and they tried to cover themselves up as best as possible. "Sorry folks, I was giving my wife my virginity" he called cheerfully, no longer feeling embarrassed about his virginal status, or ex-status and didn't care who knew.

"Sephiroth, I have nothing against young love, but I have to object to having to looking at your pasty white body with a crow wing, in front of Marlene when you invited us to your party and told us what _time_ to be here" Barret complained.

"Sorry it wasn't planned," Tifa said with a laugh.

Vincent stepped forward. "It seems like the show is over, come with me Sephiroth; we'll go find you something to wear while Yuffie does the same for Tifa" he suggested. "Tseng, please find the servers and asked them to start mixing drinks for these folks. Tifa and Sephiroth shared a bemused expression while they were separated and led away.

Sephiroth felt much better as he donned a tuxedo, glad to be back in pants. He had noticed the Vincent wore black dragon print kimono on a red background and black obi and had noticed that Tseng wore the opposite of red dragons on a black background with red obi. As for Yuffi, she wore silver dragons on white background with silver obi. He wondered about the themes of their kimonos, but thought it not his business to ask.

"That was your first time?" Vincent suddenly asked him.

"Yes" he replied.

"Why did you wait so long?" he asked him.

"With my upbringing, touching to me meant pain, so I don't much care to be touched and then there was the whole mental breakdown thing. It just never happened. A wise man once said that, if I were able to trust the person and they were patient with me, it would happen and it looks like he was right" Sephiroth explained.

"You really are having quite the life" he commented.

"Let's see, I was a lab experiment for my early life, a general for the other half...then the whole insane journeys, to and from the lifestream; finally better. Getting married in a bar hopped up on tequila and not remembering it and now losing my virginity on our ballroom floor into front of half the party guests _I_ invited. I guess that sums it up. I would say that I am" Sephiroth agreed.

"I'm glad you're better, son. Yes I do know. You're far too good looking to be related to Hojo, he was an ugly fuck. Good looks run in _our_ family" Vincent said.

"Does this mean I have to call you Dad?" Sephiroth asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Vincent is fine with me" Vincent said.

"Okay, Vincent. What is it with you and Yuffie and Tseng?" he asked him.

"We're Yuffie's consorts" he said, not beating around the bush.

"Wait you're saying that you and Tseng and Yuffie; you're all?" he asked him, trying not blush.

"We're all Wutaian so Yuffie as our Princess, is allowed to take consorts until she decides which one of us she wants to marry" Vincent explained.

"So all three of you?" Sephiroth asked him.

"Sometimes her and I, or her and him and sometimes, he and I while she watches" Vincent explained.

"You and Tseng? " Sephiroth said in a faint sounding voice.

"Why not? He's a beautiful man with lovely skin" Vincent looked amused at how Sephiroth was blushing. "You look so like you're mother when you blush. Don't worry, I'll warn you way in advance if I marry Yuffie and you have another brother or sister on the way" he teased him. "Welcome to the family" he said giving his son a hug that he awkwardly returned.

The party after that, was a hit and _certainly_ was to be remembered, but quite in the way Sephiroth had hoped. Sephiroth and Tifa barely left each other's side as they mingled and claimed many dances together, just happy to be in each other's presence. When the final guest departed, they ran up the stairs to continue where they left off and he proved his inhuman stamina by making love to Tifa long into the night, in what was now _their_ room.

Sephiroth was awakened when he sensed something was off and looked towards the greenhouse, which glowed the green colour of lifestream. He stole out of Tifa's arms and gently covered her up, donning his cargo pants and boots, he snuck up beside the greenhouse and relaxed at the sight of the familiar pink ribbon and long brown ponytail. "Aerith?" he said pushing over the door.

"You do such beautiful work, you are a credit to me. Are you happy with your new life?" she asked him.

"Very happy, I thank you, but am concerned that with alien DNA, I might not be able to give Tifa what she really wants" he explained his worst fear to her.

"You already have; as is it was destined in lifestream. Your children are already forming in her from earlier this evening. Because of how long you waited, you mark was true on your first try. They shall be mainly human and cause no threat to Tifa when she gives birth" she assured him.

"Children, as in more than one? Twins?" he guessed.

"Quadruplets, two girls and two boys, twice as fun as twins! Now I have to go, give Tifa a hug for me" she said, giving him a hug goodbye and fading from view.

"Wait, you can't be serious? Tifa will kill me" he protested and then found himself chuckling. His life was so strange, why not add four children born all at once into the mix? After all, he was married to his ex-enemy, who he had literally tried to kill...a woman who had fallen in love with him, despite all his so-called "hang ups and quirks," _before_ they had sex. He had just found out his real father was bisexual...who might be marrying his wife's best friend...and having children, who would be his own brothers and sisters...and would probably play with his own children. He realized right then and there, that his life would never be normal, but it would be spent with the woman who took a chance on him and made him her own and...he wouldn't change that for the world. If anyone knew crazy, it was him and his marriage was just _his_ sort of crazy.

He was smiling as he crawled back in bed with his wife, who clung octopus-like to him in her sleep. She of course. turned so her head rested pillow-like on his chest and her naked body was cuddled against his and he happily feel asleep that way.

THE END


End file.
